Internet Happy Places

My Internet Happy Place: Nontoxic Lobbies on Krunker.io

At the end of a year in which we could not explore much IRL, team OneZero is sharing our favorite places we found online.

Near the beginning of quarantine, a buddy and I were trying to find simple, mindless online games that we could easily play while cooped up in our respective apartments. At some point, my friend just Googled “best free first-person shooter game online” and came across Krunker.io, a CS:GO-esque first-person shooter game with a vaguely Minecraft-y aesthetic.

Krunker (I still do not know why it’s called “Krunker”) is fun. It has a bunch of unique classes, interesting maps, engaging modes, and even modded custom levels. But beyond the gameplay, I get the most enjoyment out of Krunker when I’ve been able to cultivate nontoxic lobbies. Maybe because the game is so low-stakes — I literally just load a Chrome tab and I’m in the middle of a round — but keeping it light and fun in the in-game chat often spreads once I get the ball rolling. For instance, even if someone curses my bloodline and all that I stand for via the in-game chat after I kill them, I laugh it off or shoot them a compliment. You’d be surprised how fast someone online goes from “Go fuck yourself” to “Wanna do rockets next round?” when you respond in an effusive manner.